1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to prodrugs of PI-Kinase inhibitors and methods of using these inhibitors.
2. Description of Related Art
PI-3 kinases are a large family of lipid kinases that phosphorylate phosphatidylinositol in the D3 position to generate an important second messenger, phosphatidylinositol 3′-phosphate. Members of the PI-3 kinase family are divided into 3 classes based on sequence homology and the product formed by enzyme catalysis. The class I PI-3 kinases are composed of 2 subunits: a 110 kd catalytic subunit and an 85 kd regulatory subunit. Class I PI-3 kinases are involved in important signal transduction events downstream of cytokines, integrins, growth factors and immunoreceptors, which suggests that control of this pathway may lead to important therapeutic effects.
Inhibition of class I PI-3 kinase induces apoptosis, blocks tumor induced angiogenesis in vivo, and increases the radiosensitivity of certain tumors. LY294002 (2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one) (Compound 1) is a well known specific inhibitor of class I PI-3 kinases and has been demonstrated to possess anti-cancer properties.

However, the anti-cancer applications of LY294002 are severely limited by its lack of aqueous solubility and its poor pharmacokinetics. Moreover, LY294002 has no tissue specific properties and has been demonstrated to be rapidly metabolized in animals. Because of these factors, LY294002 would need to be administered at frequent intervals and thus has the potential to also inhibit PI-3 kinases in normal cells thereby leading to undesirable side effects.
There continues to be a need for class I PI-3 kinase inhibitors with improved pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.